No.21 seed Veronika Kudermetova defeated former champion Naomi Osaka, 6-0, 6-4 to advance to the third round of the BNP Paribas Open. Kudermetova will face Marie Bouzkova for a spot in the Round of 16 after the Czech qualifier earned her first Top 20 win of the season by defeating No.14 seed Jessica Pegula 5-7, 6-2, 6-0. 

Kudermetova and Osaka were due to face each other for the first time earlier this season at the Melbourne Summer Set, before Osaka withdrew due to abdominal injury ahead of their semifinal clash. In their first meeting on Saturday night, Kudermetova proved the more in-form and consistent player, a result of a strong start to the season that has seen her make two finals in Melbourne and Dubai and enjoy doubles success as well by narrowly completing a sweep of titles in the Middle East. 

Kudermetova held serve to open the match at 1-0 when a fan was heard heckling Osaka when the players switched ends. The incident left Osaka rattled for much of the match, as she fought back tears during play. On the next change of ends she asked the umpire if she could use the microphone to address the crowd. Osaka would play on but addressed the crowd after the match on court. 

"Hi," Osaka said, greeting the crowd. "I just wanted to say thank you. I feel like I cried enough on camera. To be honest, I've gotten heckled before and it didn't really bother me. But heckled here. ... I've watched a video of Serena and Venus getting heckled here and if you've never watched it you should watch. I don't know why but it went into my head and got replayed a lot. I'm trying not to cry but, I just wanted to say thank you and congratulations [Veronika]. Thank you."

Despite the situation swirling around her, Kudermetova remained laser-focused on the task at hand. She stormed through a 6-0 opening set with clutch serving, while benefitting from a wayward Osaka. Kudermetova saved all four break points she faced in the opening set, while keeping Osaka's dangerous return game at bay. She served at 73% first serves in, winning 81% of her first-serve points.

Kudermetova's return numbers were equally staggering, winning 75% of her first-serve return points and 67% of her second-serve return points. As Osaka struggled to find her range from both the baseline and service line - the former No.1 served at just 40% in the first set - Kudermetova took the opener after 32 minutes.

Osaka responded by raising her level in the second set. She held her serve to get on the board and kept Kudermetova at bay in her service games. But Kudermetova remained steadfast in her own service games. She did not face a break point in the second set and Osaka's serve finally buckled at 3-3. With a break in hand, Kudermetova coolly held her serve two more times and closed out the match after 1 hour and 17 minutes.

"It's nice to play against great players, against Naomi, because I never play against her," Kudermetova said. "I want to play that match because I want to see what I can improve, what I need to improve. I play really well today. I hope I will continue to play like that."

Azarenka returns to her winning ways 

Two-time champion Victoria Azarenka returned to her winning ways at the BNP Paribas Open on Saturday, defeating Australian lucky loser Astra Sharma 6-3, 7-5 in her second-round opener. Seeded No.13, Azarenka will face No.17 seed Elena Rybakina in the third round. Rybakina advanced earlier in the day by defeating Alison Van Uytvanck, 6-1, 7-5. 

Azarenka was playing just her fourth match since the Australian Open, having withdrawn ahead of her last match in Doha with a left hip injury. In her first meeting against the 26-year-old Sharma, the former No.1 had her full arsenal on display, keeping sustained baseline pressure on Sharma while also charging into the net to finish points with ease.  

Highlights: Azarenka bests Sharma in Indian Wells Opener

"I felt that I played good in important moments," Azarenka told reporters after the match. "I think there were a little bit ups and downs in some games where I felt like I could be a bit more decisive. But again, I haven't played in a while. I have to get that match rhythm.

"Today was a good start to play against an opponent who gives a lot of different balls. I played actually I thought really well. I'm glad that I was able to handle myself and turn it up when it was important."

While she served at 49% first serves in, Azarenka won nearly 80% of her first serve points and 46% of her second server points. Though broken three times for the match, Azarenka struck back to break Sharma five times, sealing the win after 1 hour and 43 minutes. 

Fernandez saves four match points to advance

Leylah Fernandez, the 18th seed, came back from the brink to advance to the third round, saving four match points against Amanda Anisimova before the American retired due to illness at 2-6, 7-6(0). Fernandez will face American Shelby Rogers in the next round, a rematch of their exciting Round of 16 duel last year, which Rogers won 2-6, 6-1, 7-6(4). 

A champion in Monterrey last week, Fernandez extended her winning streak with a gritty second-set comeback. Down 5-3, the 19-year-old saved a match point on her serve to stay in the match and hold. With Anisimova serving at 5-4, Fernandez survived triple-match point to get to deuce and break to level the set. 

With the momentum firmly on her side, the Canadian stepped up to save two break points to hold to 6-5, before Anisimova stopped the rot with a hold to force a tiebreak. With Anisimova struggling to maintain her baseline control, Fernandez ran away with the tiebreak, winning 7-0 to level the match. Anisimova subsequently retired citing illness. 

Bouzkova continues strong form to upset Pegula

Czech qualifier Marie Bouzkova is finding her form once again. Now ranked No.97, the 23-year-old has enjoyed a strong run of form through North America, making the Guadalajara final, quarterfinals in Monterrey, and now backing up a successful qualifying campaign in Indian Wells to defeat No.19 Jessica Pegula 5-7, 6-2, 6-0 to advance to the third round. 

Highlights: Bouzkova beats Pegula for 1st Top 20 win of 2022

"We had a really tough match at the US Open," Bouzkova said. "I lost in the third-set tiebreak. I thought about that match actually because there were times when I could have been more aggressive. So I told myself today, it doesn't matter if I win or lose, just try to have it in my own hands a little bit more. Don't have any regrets."

After losing the opening set, Bouzkova dropped just two games for the remainder of the match. She did not face a break point in the second set, winning 92.3% of her first serve points to level the match. After breaking at love to open the third set, Bouzkova locked in on defense and saved all four break points she faced to seal the win after nearly two hours. 

"A really big win and a very special one, too," Bouzkova said. "I've always felt good to play here but got my first win this year, so I'm trying to build on that. After the first set I thought I felt great considering everything, I'm hitting the ball well but obviously Jessie is an amazing, clean hitter. She has so much power and she made some amazing shots. Even though I lost the first set I told myself to keep going, to keep being aggressive on my end. I found the right balance between attacking and defending some balls. It worked out really well in the end."